A Future to Die For
by beautifullyinsane31
Summary: Yuki Hatsune was living with her friend, Hisashi, without anyone knowing. In fact, the girl was full of secrets. Despite what Takashi thinks, he doesn't know any of them. But what better way to find out than to be stranded together in order to survive? TakashixOC - Rating May Change - Yuki in the Cover
1. Spring of the Dead

_This is the way the world ends,_

_Not with a bang but a whimper._

— T. S. Eliot

The night before all the madness started, I had stayed up late. Hisashi, my roommate and best friend, had fallen asleep on our couch a couple hours into our anime marathon, but I couldn't sleep. Even after the four-hour rerun of Dragon Ball had ended, I couldn't get my mind to shut down, so I spent most of the night listening to music. It never occurred to me that the very next day, my life would change entirely.

–xxx–

**Hallway on the Second Floor, Fujimi High School**

**Z-Day 11:33 pm**

–xxx–

With a long yawn, I stretch out my arms, trying to wake up. When I go to lean against the ledge, I catch a glimpse of myself in the window, reflection looking pretty rough. The bags under my light eyes are dark, bringing out the green more than I want, and my white hair is a mess of frizz. I groan inwardly and throw it up into a ponytail in hopes of taming it, being sure to ignore the glass as I lean back against the window paneling. The breeze is warm, mid-spring air ruffling my bangs, and I take a deep breath, inhaling the scent of cherry blossoms.

"'Ey, Yuki," someone says, surprising me, "Skippin' again?"

I look over at Morita, a second year. All of his blond hair is smoothed back, except for the spiked front. His green eyes are wide and bright, full of too much enthusiasm for only eleven in the morning. His black uniform jacket is opened, showing a green-checkered shirt.

"You too, Morita?" I ask half-heartedly. Even before I transferred here, Morita and I would skip class together, hanging out on the rooftop with Takashi and Imamura, so it's not surprising that he's wandering the halls during fifth period.

He grins, rubbing his head. "Ah, ya know me. Classrooms ain't my thing when it's this close to the end of the week. What 'bout you?"

I smile a little, turning back to the warm air outside. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

He chuckles. "Hisashi keep ya up all night?"

"You know he's dating Rei," I say, making a face, "Besides, I don't like Hisashi like that. It would be like kissing my brother."

"'Course it would." He smirks. "Besides, he can't compare to Takashi, can he?"

My face burns, eyes narrowing. "What are you trying to say?"

"Just been thinkin' lately that you're a little close with Takashi," he teases, the smile on his face amused. "Do ya happen to like him?"

"As if!" I scoff, cursing the red staining my pale face. Even in the reflection, I can tell it's giving me away. "He's like a brother to me too."

"Uh-huh." He doesn't make an effort to sound like he believes me. "Is _that_ why you're as red as a tomato?"

"Shut up," I hiss, "If you say anything to anyone, I swear I'll kill you."

It's not a chuckle this time. Instead, he doubles over in laughter, eyes watering as he tries to compose himself. "This is great. I mean, _Takashi_ of all people."

"God, I hate you so much," I grumble, resting my arm on the paneling.

"Don't be like that, Yuk," he says, laughter still fresh in his voice even as he tries to coax me using the nickname Hisashi came up with. "If it makes ya feel any better, I was comin' to show ya _Master Morita's Top Secret List of Fujimi Academy's Triple-A Grade Hot Girls_!"

I glance at him, pursing my lips as I mull over the offer.

Master Morita's Top Secret List is a book that he keeps with the top five hottest girls (in his and his friends' opinion) that go to our school. It's not that important though, and could probably pass as totally worthless more than anything, but I like hearing what crazy scenarios they come with, even if most of them are perverted and impossible.

"Some things were changed," he says, knowing that'd do the trick. "You'll never guess what~"

"Fine," I grumble, defeated.

He pulls out a small, brown notebook and flips it open to the middle. Below the old list of five girls is a dark line, probably from a Sharpie, with a new list in red pen.

**Saeko Busujima—nothing but an apron and thong**

**Yuki Hatsune—****_only _****in an oversized t-shirt**

**Saya Takagi—tank top and underwear**

**Rei Miyamoto—maid costume**

**Shizuka Marikawa—****_nothing_**

"What're the comments supposed to mean? Is that what you want to see them dressed in?" I wonder, reading the chicken scratch under each name. "Doctor Marikawa? In _nothing_?"

"Have ya seen her? I'd give _anythin'_ to see her stripped down."

I roll my eyes. "Careful, Morita, you're perversion is showing."

He smirks. "Always, babe, always."

I chuckle. "Nice list. I notice that there're a lot of new people, although Takagi's still on it."

"Just waitin' for her to yes," he says, eyes bright with determination. "Maybe when I get my band together, she'll see how much I'm worth."

"You can do so much _better_ than her, though," I reprimand. "And why are Rei and I on it? You shouldn't fantasize about other people's girlfriends."

"You're both hot," he replies easily, but the blush creeping on his face gives him away. "Ishii's the one who wanted Rei, and Okada's the one who nominated ya for number two, FYI. Pretty sure he has a thing for ya."

I raise an eyebrow, but decide to laugh it off instead. "I think you guys are losing your eyesight, but thanks nonetheless, I guess."

"Any time, Yuki." He grins, holding that adorable, boyish look. "Don't let your hopes down, 'kay? I'm sure Takashi'll get over Rei in no time and realize you're there with him."

I smile a little as I glance out the window, watching the sakura petals fall. "Yeah, of course."

"I'm goin' to hide in the dorms for a while," he says, patting my shoulder. "Go to the roof and get some sleep; I'm sure you'll feel better after a nap."

"Actually, I think I will," I say. "See you later."

"See ya~"

I wander the hall, not bothering to shut the window. The school's feeling stuffy anyway—someone will thank me for it later. I can still smell the cherry blossoms in the hallway and it makes me smile, lifting my spirits.

My flats click against the tiled floors as I step out a glass door and on the stairwell outside, the air warming my skin and giving me light goose bumps.

"Ugh, that's so stupid!" a familiar voice sneers.

Saya Takagi.

I look up and see Takashi and Takagi at the top of the flight of stairs. Takashi, who has a tired, solemn look on his face, is leaning against the wall behind him, one hand on the railing. His dark brown hair is blowing in the light wind, ruffling it, but he pays it no mind, face blank as he stares at Takagi. He may not have any expression on his face, but I can see the flash of hurt in his brown eyes.

He and Rei must have gotten into it.

Takagi is standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. Her pink hair is pulled into the usual pigtails, and her eyes are permanently narrowed with irritation, face scrunched and everything.

"What do you want?" Takashi asks, bored. Neither of them has noticed me yet.

"Every time you have to face something you don't like, you always come to this stupid staircase. It's like your own little pity corner. Look at you!" She scoffs in disgust, ignoring his question and bending down as if she has to get on his level. "Good God! The first semester has just started; how are you ever going to make it through the year?"

Takashi glances at her chest before avoiding her all together, looking out to the courtyard over the railing. "I could say the same to you. The fifth period isn't even over yet."

She straightens up. "It's okay because _I'm_ a genius," she says, flipping her hair behind her. "Unlike you, who got into this school by dumb luck."

"Those are pretty harsh words," I say casually, strolling beside Takashi. "Maybe you'd like to rephrase them?"

They both look at me with surprise, but I see fear flash in Takagi's eyes before she has time to cover it up.

"Hatsune," she greets curtly.

We have a staring contest. Her eyes narrow more, if that's possible, probably weighing the chances of me doing something while dead tired, before she scans my body. I try not to show her how uncomfortable I am under her scrutinizing gaze, face remaining cold and blank, but it's hard to ignore the irrational fear that she can somehow _see_ through the fabric of my uniform, to the dark scars scattered along my arms and legs.

Something sparks in her eyes, and it's like my lungs have dropped to my stomach as I follow her gaze. My legging is ripped just below my skirt, the thin gap revealing a thick, long scar running down my thigh.

Why didn't Morita tell me that my leggings were cut? It obviously happened during my disagreement with Tsunoda (I use the word "disagreement" _very_ lightly), so it would've been like that when we ran into each other, but I mentally smack my head, because, no matter how big of a pervert he makes himself out to be, he has respect for girls in his own way and never looks past the belt.

"Get into another fight, Yuki?" she sneers, thinking she'd won. "By the looks of your leg, you can't afford any more."

Takashi furrows his brows, confused, and scans my leg, eyes landing on my exposed thigh. "What the hell is that?" he gapes.

"You have no right to say anything about that," I growl, stepping towards her.

Panic flashes in her eyes and she takes a step back, trying to straighten herself up in an attempt to seem stronger than she is. "Whatever," she says, acting bored, "You're even more stupid than him."

I glare at her retreating form, aggravated. Half of my mind tells me to run after her, throw a kick or two for pointing out the scars in front of Takashi, but the other half is telling me to let it go and pass out on the stairs—this is the third day in a row that I haven't slept, and after the altercation with Tsunoda, I'm drained.

"Hey, Yuki, your leg…" Takashi trails off, not sure how to ask.

I take a silent breath and turn to him with the best smile I can muster, hoping he doesn't notice my hands shaking. "I tripped and fell into my dad's knife collection when I was younger, so don't worry about it," I lie, hopelessly trying to fix the fabric. "You know me, always running into things and falling down."

He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "You never change."

I laugh uneasily, rubbing the back of my head.

Suddenly, I hear something bump into metal. My head snaps up, looking across the courtyard to the gate surrounding the school. A man is banging his entire body against the gate doors, arms stretched out in front of him, like he's blind and trying to find an access point inside.

"Who's that?" Takashi asks softly, mostly to himself. "A trespasser?"

I shrug and lean over the railing, trying to get a better look.

Mr. Teshima, the school's main Phys. Ed teacher, along with Ms. Hayashi, the Ping-Pong advisor, old man Shuu, the Home Economics instructor, and the principal walk over to the strange man. They start talking to him, but it doesn't look as if he's saying much because Mr. Teshima, being the hard-ass he is, grabs hold of the guy's suit, pulling him roughly against the gate. There's a short pause before the man grabs Mr. Teshima's wrist and digs his teeth into his arm.

"Oh my God," I breathe, gravitating towards Takashi unconsciously as Mr. Teshima falls backwards with a painful scream.

Takashi is perpetually still, watching the madness with wide, disbelieving eyes.

Teshima rolls back and forth, screams of agony echoing all around us. It doesn't take long for the painful cries to turn into groans before he's silent all together.

The other teachers stare at the body, no one moving.

Then, Ms. Hayashi kneels over him, what seems like relief on her face.

It's quickly gone as what used to be Teshima grips her shirt, popping the top buttons on her blouse to reveal her bra, and takes a chunk out of her neck like it's a taco from Taco Bell.

"What the hell?" Takashi murmurs.

My eyes are just as wide as his as I back away from the railing, trying to process what happened. The only thing that's running through my mind, though, is an intense urge to get as far away from those teachers as fast as possible.

Before I can say or do anything, Takashi grabs my hand. "Come on, Yuki. We need to get the hell outta here."

I nod, agreeing wholeheartedly, and try to keep up as he bolts up the stairs and into the hallway on the third floor.

We run all the way to a door on the other side of the hallway, two doors away from the other staircase, and Takashi slams the sliding door open, causing the class to look in our direction.

Rei, who had checked to see who it was, glares at our hands, looking as if she's been betrayed.

"Komuro, you couldn't be happy with just skipping my class?" the teacher scolds, but Takashi isn't listening as he releases my hand and walks towards Rei.

"Come with me," he orders, grabbing her wrist and yanking her out of her desk. "We're getting out of here."

She stares at him in disbelief, face red, and I feel familiar jealousy prick at me. "Wha—?"

Takagi shoves herself out of her seat, pissed, as everyone turns to listen to what Takashi has to say.

Calm, as he always is, Hisashi walks over to Takashi, face serious. "_What_ are you doing?"

"People just got killed by the front gate," he explains, annoyed.

Hisashi eyes widen. "Are you serious?"

"You don't actually thing we decided it'd be fun to make all that up, do you?" I ask incredulously.

Hisashi looks at me, seeing the seriousness on my face, and I watch as the doubt wipes away from his features. "Alright."

"Jesus!" Rei yells, ripping her arm from Takashi's distracted grip. "What's going on!? I can never understand—!"

_Smack_

I flinch at the sound, cringing away from Takashi and Rei.

"Yuki?" Hisashi says quietly, keeping the others from hearing. "Yuki, it's okay. No one's going to hurt you anymore."

I take a deep breath, clearing the image of angry, grey eyes from my mind, and nod. "I'm okay."

He returns the nod with one of his own, but his eyes trail to the rip in my leggings. "Damn," he mutters, assessing the damage. "When did this happen?"

"This morning, sometime after lunch," I answer, deciding it's best to leave out the whole Tsunoda involvement.

"Has anyone seen it?"

"Takashi did, but I told him they were from running a knife case. He bought it for now, at least."

He chuckles, ruffling my hair. "Of course he did—you're worse than a dog trying to walk on two legs."

I cross my arms, puffing out my cheek in a pout.

"Come on," Takashi barks at Rei again, interrupting Hisashi and I as he turns on his heel and runs out the door.

We follow after him, Rei trailing behind hesitantly—probably only following because Hisashi is. Thankfully, the teacher doesn't chase after us, and the ones that are usually patrolling the hallways are nowhere to be found.

"Just tell me what's going on," Rei pleas.

"There was someone at the front gate," I explain, trying to keep up with the fast walk Hisashi and Takashi have come up with. "A few teachers went to see what he wanted when all of a sudden the man bit the PE teacher's arm. Now, he's attacking the others."

"That's insane!" she argues. "Why would they kill each other!?"

"Well, why don't you go down there and ask them?" I shoot back, annoyed.

She falls into an angry silence, and no one says anything else.

We head back down the flight of stairs Takashi and I came up, and Hisashi starts leading the way through the second floor hallway. His eyes hunt the walls quickly, scanning every sliding door we pass until we reach a janitors' closet tucked in the corner.

"What? You forgot something?" Takashi asks incredulously.

"If what you and Yuki are saying is true, then we'll need weapons, right?" He breaks off the handle of a push broom, leaving a metal, spiral point on the end, and hands it to Rei. "Here Rei."

Takashi starts rummaging through a duffle bag next to the closet, pulling out a metal bat. He weighs it in his hands, taking a few practice swings, before his eyes fall on me. "What about Yuki?"

"She can fight pretty well," Hisashi muses, but I can tell by the look in his eyes that he's not comfortable with the idea of leaving me weaponless, so he shuffles through the closet again, hunting for something else. Things topple over, different brooms and mops falling on the ground, before there's a _crack_. He pulls out the aluminum pole that had been keeping one side of the shelves propped against the wall. "Take this, Yuki. I'm sure you can find _some_ use for it."

I smirk. "You know me so well."

He smiles back, much to the chagrin of Rei.

"What about you, Hisashi?" Takashi wonders, inserting himself between Hisashi and I.

"I've got a black belt in Karate," he answers simply. "Now come on. We've got to get out of the school."

"Let's call the police first," Rei suggests. "We can talk to my father."

"School rules are meant to be broken, right?" Takashi says, handing her his cellphone.

My smile is small as I shake my head. It's just like him to be carrying something like a cellphone to irritate the teachers.

We wait as the phone rings a few times. When it stops, Rei's eyes widen. "No way," she breathes. "110 is busy."

"What?" Hisashi asks, worried.

"But that's impossible," Rei mumbles.

As if cued, the P.A. system comes on, the vice principle's voice vibrating through every classroom and hallway. "This announcement is for all the students: an emergency situation is taking place inside the school right now. All students must follow your teacher's instructions and evacuate. I repeat—"

"So they finally realized it, huh?" Takashi mutters, distracting me.

"Oh god…" Rei stammers, as if she only now believes what we were saying.

There's a pause as the mike screeches, an eerie silence following. I gulp, the sudden rush of blood from Ms. Hayashi's neck flashing in my mind. On instinct, I back into Hisashi. He wraps an arm around my shoulders in response, keeping an arm opened for Rei if she needs him, and glances at me, surprised.

Not many people know that I'm living in Hisashi's house, just the two of us, mostly because I want to keep it a secret (the last thing I need is people questioning why we lived together, the rumors people would spread, the things Rei and Takashi would find out…), but now, as I listen for the VP's voice to come back, the only thing I care about is getting this nightmare over with.

"Wha—get away from me!" There's what sounds like groaning in the background and I bury my face in Hisashi's chest, trying to block out the screams. "Get away! Ahh! Ahhh! Help! HELGH—"

As his last cries gurgle out and the intercom goes dead, silence filling the air. It's so quiet, a needle could be heard hitting the tiles. Seconds tick by, feeling like hours. Then, as if everyone snaps back, the sound of screams and frantic footsteps reverberates all around us, sending a chill down my spine.

The students are panicking.

"This way!" Hisashi yells, pulling away from me to head further down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Takashi demands, rooted in his spot. "We've got to get out of here!"

He stops, turning to face him. "The building with classrooms is too crowded," he explains, voice and face calm. "We need to go through the Management Building."

"Hisashi is right," Rei hisses, more venom in her voice than usual. "Shut up and do what he says."

"Alright, fine," Takashi quips, eyes narrowing.

We run to the end of the hallway and Hisashi yanks open the side door, ushering us on the opened, bridge-like path that leads to the Management Building.

A few feet ahead of us, however, looking as if he's having a hard time standing up, is Mr. Wakisaka, the grammar teacher. His brown hair is smoothed over with grease like always, but his skin is a dark ash color, inhumanly grey. His eyes are solid white, only a small, disoriented grey dot in the middle, and his mouth and nose are dripping with blood. Just above his knee, there's blood seeping through his khakis, in what looks like teeth imprints, dripping all the way to his sandals.

"What's wrong with him?" Rei asks, eyes wide. "You don't think he'll try to stop us, do you?"

He shocks us by opening his mouth wider than humanly possible and letting out an airy roar, blood staining his teeth. He leans back at first, and I wonder idly if he's going to fall on his ass, but then he leans forward, advancing towards Rei more quickly than I think's possible.

She swats at him with her makeshift spear as if he's a fly. "Get away from me!"

Hisashi slashes the air with his hand like an example. "Stab him, Rei! Don't hold back!"

She stares at the weapon in her shaky hands like she doesn't know what to do. Mr. Wakisaka doesn't give her time to think and grabs hold of it, forcing her down to the ground. Something sparks in her, though, and her eyes sharpen to a glare as she shoves him off of her. "Don't screw with me," she growls. "I'm the VP of the Martial Arts Club!" Her weapon strikes his shoulder, causing him to stumble, but she doesn't give him enough time to recover as she pierces his heart.

He goes limp, body hanging above the ground.

"Yes!" Takashi cheers next to me.

But he spoke too soon.

At first, I think it's the wind ruffling his shirtsleeve, but after a few moments, I'm sure it's not the wind—the guy's actually moving again! Lazily, his arm grabs hold of the spear, using whatever body weight he has to lower his feet to the ground. The moment he's balanced, he overpowers Rei and smashes her into the metal lining the hallway walls.

"But I stabbed him in the chest!" Rei panics. "Why is he still moving!?"

It's a question none of us can answer as Mr. Wakisaka attempts to get to Rei again, the pole still lodged in his heart.

I run over to help her, landing a blow to his shoulder with the heel of my foot. With the pole wedged in his chest—and my own weapon back with Takashi and Hisashi—I watch as he stumbles sideways, far enough to give me time to help Rei up. But his recovery rate is flawless and within seconds, it's as if I hadn't kicked him at all.

"Damn," I mutter. I had expected (and kind of hoped) that the kick would at least stun him more, like it had Tsunoda earlier, but instead, it seems like I just made him angrier.

"Jesus Christ," Rei mumbles next to me. "Why won't he just dies already!?"

I don't have time to answer because Mr. Wakisaka is after us again, this time with a vengeance.

Trying to keep the spear stuck in his chest from stabbing me, I grab hold of the end. He's a lot stronger than I originally thought, though, and I have a hard time keeping him from impaling me on the stupid thing.

Hisashi, in an attempt to help me, runs over to the deranged teacher, wrapping his arm firmly around his throat. Struggling, he pulls Mr. Wakisaka away from me. "Yuki, pull it out now!"

I do as he says and yank it out, the sound of meat being ripped apart making my stomach churn. Blood is on the broomstick, dried and dark, but none of it is pouring from his wound.

"Hisashi, get away from him!" Takashi commands, swatting at the air with his hands.

Hisashi simply smirks, brows drawn together in concentration as he man-handles Mr. Wakisaka. "Don't worry," he grunts confidently, "I can take him."

Suddenly, his struggling stops and he stands still, letting his limbs lop to his side. Then, as if he was an owl from Hell, he turns his head completely around. The skin on his neck ripples, and I'm certain part of it is starting to chip away, like old paint.

"What the fuck!?" Hisashi shouts, hand on the top of his head in an attempt to keep it from turning.

The teacher's mouth opens wide, revealing yellow liquid dripping in his mouth, and sinks his teeth into Hisashi's upper arm. Hisashi lets out a cry as he loses hold on him, and the teacher turns entirely, taking hold of Hisashi as he buries his teeth in further.

"Get off him!" Takashi yells, running to Hisashi's aid and hitting Mr. Wakisaka.

Rei snatches the broomstick from my hands and screams as she charges at him from the other side, piercing his stomach. "Just die already, damn it!"

Something hits Takashi. With wide eyes, he backs away from the guy. "Oh no…" he says. "I knew it. He _is_ dead. He's dead but still moving!"

"What!?" Rei shrieks.

They don't have time to argue about it. Whatever Mr. Wakisaka is, he's hungry for sure. With enough force to shatter the bone, he bites down harder, blood now dripping down Hisashi's arm. He throws his head back with a painful cry, teeth clenched.

Rei, at a lost for what to do and desperate to do something—_anything_—to help Hisashi, drops her weapon and grabs the man's—thing's—arm, tugging helplessly at it.

"Takashi, Yuki, _someone_, do something!" she demands, glaring at us like it's our fault. "Help him! Don't just stand there; do something! DO SOMETHING WILL YA!?"

Something snaps in me, and I can move again. Quickly, I run past Takashi and grab Rei's spear, heading for the trio. Clamping my eyes shut, I bring the wooden pole down on his head. Blood is splattered all over us and the walkway, slowly dripping down my cheek. When I get enough strength to open my eyes, I see Mr. Wakisaka looking at me with blank, lifeless eyes. He slumps forward, Hisashi's blood staining his teeth, and falls to his knees, landing on his face only a few centimeters from my feet.

My hands are trembling and I can't breathe. With wide eyes, I stare at the blood everywhere, even my white leggings are now splashed with red. Hisashi tells Rei something—something about him being okay—but I don't catch any of it. I can see red, but suddenly, there's a glass case full of knives against the wall. I can hear the glass breaking just as a sharp pain runs along my spine. People are fighting, but my head hurts too much to move.

"Yuki." Takashi's voice snaps me out of it, causing me to jump.

Slowly, I drag my eyes away from the mess and look at him.

There's no broken glass case, no collections of knives. My back doesn't hurt.

"Are you okay?" he asks, putting his hand on my shoulder.

I cringe away from his touch and he retracts his hand, confused and a little hurt.

"Yuki?" Hisashi is now in front of me. "Yuki?"

I take a deep breath and try to regain myself, practically forcing my hands to stop shaking.

"I'm fine," I say, ignoring the way my voice cracks over the words.

Before they can pry, a glass window shatters, the sound resonating everywhere. We all rush over to the edge of the bridged hallway and look down. A freshman girl lets out a shrill scream, trying to get another student to stop from taking a bite out of her. I watch with horror as the student digs his teeth into her chest, the girl letting out another helpless shriek that makes my ears ring.

"We can handle one of them, but there's no way we…" His voice trails off, watching the devastation below as more and more students are eaten alive.

"The roof," Hisashi says, covering his wound with his other hand.

"The roof?" Rei repeats with a questioning gaze.

"We should barricade ourselves until help arrives," he explains, "Besides, on the roof we can see what's going on."

I bite my lip, hesitating.

"What is it, Yuki?" Takashi asks, tilting his head at my expression.

"It's just…" I stop, unsure of how to put it.

Hisashi looks down at me. "Go ahead and say it, Yuk."

Rei hisses under her breath at the sound of my nickname coming from Hisashi, but I ignore her. "It's just that there aren't any sirens," I say. "Things are terrible, but there's not even a fire truck here yet. Rei said that 110 was bust, so people must be calling in, right? At the time, I thought it was because people in this school were calling, like all of the teachers or something, but what if it's not just the students and teachers? What if… what if…"

"What if this is happening in town as well," Hisashi finishes for me, contemplating.

"That's crazy!" Rei argues, flailing her arms in frustration. "We would've heard about it much sooner!"

He looks at her and then back at me, letting out a sigh. "Rei has a point."

I nod, understanding what they're saying, but my stomach still aches with a dread I can't explain.

The conversation is over after he sides with Rei, though. As more moans and groans fill the building behind us, we continue running along the hallway. It takes three flights of spiraling stairs before we reach a grey door, _No Students Permitted Beyond This Point_ in bolded red letters above it. Takashi, who had taken the lead, shoves the door open with his shoulder, and we sprint to the black metal railing lining the roof's edge.

Everyone's eyes grow wide, and Rei sucks in a sharp breath, shocked.

Even in the distance, we can see the dark smoke lifting into the sky, red sparks jumping everywhere. The road is drenched in blood—from both the dead and undead—and sirens from both ambulances and firefighters finally blare, adding to the chaos.

"Holy shit." Takashi's the first to speak, staring at the turmoil with disbelieving eyes. "It _is_ happening everywhere."

Rei's equally surprised as she backs away from the railing, unwilling to believe it. "But everything was normal this morning!" she argues desperately, "Everything was fine only minutes ago!"

I just stare, not answering. I understand where Rei is coming from—when Hisashi forced me up this morning and dragged me to school, everything was normal. And now, only five hours later, practically the entire city was in flames, like it had gone straight to Hell.

Out of nowhere, a strong wind attacks the roof, causing Rei to stumble forward. Hisashi quickly grabs a hold on her, helping her stand up straight. Takashi and I grab onto the railing, both of us looking around the sky. We come face to face with several camouflage helicopters flying overhead.

"Black Hawks," I breathe, remembering the book Hisashi showed me from his English class.

Takashi sends me a questioning look. "Like the American Military or the Self-Defense Force?"

I nod absently, mesmerized.

"Where did they come from?" Takashi wonders. "They don't have any bases near here."

"Over here!" Rei shouts, ignoring the rest of us as she starts waving her arms above her head. "Help us! We're over here!"

"It's useless," Hisashi says, stopping her.

She looks at him. "How come?"

"Because of what Takashi said," he tells her. "He's right to question where they came from, don't you think? They didn't come all this way for nothing, so they're definitely here to carry out an order." He coughs a little, and Rei pats his shoulder soothingly. "There's not enough space for them to land here to pick us up anyway. Besides, look over there." He point through the railing, down to the school yard.

Students in gym uniforms are running around the courts, trying to avoid the hungry-looking monsters limping after them. Some are attacked before they even know what's going on, succumbing to wounds that'll bleed out slowly—if they aren't eating alive first.

"They won't even notice us with that going on," he wheezes, "and that's what's happening _outside_ the school where you can still escape; imagine what's happing _inside_ the school."

I shudder at the thought.

"This is like a disease caused by _Them_," Hisashi says after a moment.

"Them?"

He stares at the madness below us, nodding. "They might look like something from a video game or movie, but we can't call them 'zombies' because this is real life, so it's Them. _They_ feed on people, then after the people who were bitten come back to life, they come back as one of _Them_." He pauses to cough. "I don't know why, but for whatever reason, there doesn't seem to be anyway to stop them aside from crushing their heads—"

Groans pour through the ear, following by some roars like the one Mr. Wakisaka let out. I cover my ears, trying to block out the sounds, but it doesn't work.

Takashi runs over to the door and tries to flip the lock. "Shit, it's broken!" He looks over at us. "They'll be able to get in."

"What should we do!?" Rei cries, clinging to Hisashi.

He scans the roof, eyes landing on a staircase. "We'll go up to the observatory and block the stairs."

I follow his gaze to a grey building protruding from the roof. Instead of the flat surface like the one we're standing on, this one is dome-shaped. Next to it is a staircase leading up to the observatory, a place used for both the astronomy club and teachers to monitor students during gym class—you can see the entire courtyard and a bit of the side entrance.

We bolt across the roof, running as fast as we can. Hisashi and Takashi take the lead together, Takashi slamming in a few heads that get in our way. The door we had entered earlier starts bulging as They try to get in. With a loud _bang_, it finally gives, twenty of Them rushing in.

"Hurry!" Takashi yells, making a sharp turn to get to the stairs.

One of the undead try to tackle him to the ground, but he flips her over his back, her head cracking against the wall pretty hard.

We get halfway up the stairs when Rei turns to me suddenly, taking her spear and jabbing it into the chest of a zombie behind me.

"Thank you," I say, relieved. "I didn't even sense it behind me."

"Are you nuts!?" Takashi scolds.

"What!?" she demands, angry.

It's then that I remember what Hisashi said: the only way to kill them is to smash in their heads.

"Rei—!" I start, but it's too late.

The guy grabs hold of her makeshift spear with bloody hands, taking it out of her distracted grip, and slams it into our bodies, causing us to hit the wall with a painful thud. I rub my head, groaning, as he makes his way towards us, outstretching his arms.

"No!" Rei screams, desperate. "Get away!"

I snatch the spear from her lap and whack his legs, ignoring the headache. Unfortunately, all it does is knock him to his knees, dulls eyes and hungry groans still pointed for us. With unseen persistence, he continues crawling to us, teeth gnawing on air.

"Rei! Yuki!" Hisashi yells, grabbing Takashi's metal bat as he pushes past him. He rushes down the stairs, slamming the bat into the guy's head. Blood and puss is splattered all over the wall, and it takes all of my self-control not to puke.

"Did you see that, Rei?" he says, looking at the brunette. "You have to smash their heads in, remember?"

She nods, wiping away the tears.

Another one tries to grab me, but Hisashi shoves his shoe into her stomach, causing the female zombie to tumble down the stairs, hitting her head on the metal poles covering important wires. He stumbles back himself, though, having lost his balance, and Rei and I each grab an arm, wrapping it around our necks to help him up the stairs.

As soon as we're at the top, Hisashi forces us to let him help Takashi find things to block the stairwell. While they do that, Rei and I shove the zombies down the steps as they reach the top of the stairs to give them time to move really big stuff.

"Okay… now!" Takashi orders.

Rei and I get out of the way quickly as Takashi and Hisashi put two tables against the stars vertically, and Takashi holds them down.

"It won't hold like this!" he says, struggling to keep the mob from getting in.

Rei tosses Hisashi cellophane tape and he happily catches it after placing another table right up against the other two. "I'll give it more support."

"Cellophane tape?" Takashi asks in disbelief. "Will that really be enough to hold it?"

Hisashi does his best to smirk, but it's twinged with pain. "Wound cellophane tape is incredibly strong. Don't you pay attention in class?"

"Bite me," he grumbles as he continues solidifying our defense.

After stacking another table on their sides against the other two, and adding a few four-by-four wooden beams, we take a break, sucking in air. Hisashi is across from me, leaning his head against the railing. He's starting to look awful, like he's coming down with pneumonia, and its worrying me. Rei is next to him (of course), trying to process everything that just happened. Takashi and I, on the other hand, are standing. I'm leaning against the wall, trying to think of what to do next, and Takashi is standing diagonal to me, a little ways away from the wall, bat gripped strongly in his hand.

"Why… why is this happening?" Rei asks, shivering.

"There has to be a reason," Hisashi says, offering her the best answer he can give when we don't know anything. "Maybe if we can find out the reason, we can stop it. Or, at least, protect ourselves." His breathing is shallow as he tries to continue. Sweat beads are starting to form on his forehead, making his face look dry and ashy.

I walk over to the railing, glancing down at Them as they attack more people, and try to believe what Hisashi said.

A reason for all this terrible chaos? I… I want to believe it, but something in my gut tells me that maybe this is bigger than us. It could be the nasty flips my stomach is doing or the fact that I can hear my heart pounding in my ears, but whatever it is, my instincts tell me that the best thing to focus on now is survival.

Suddenly, a particular undead catches my eyes, the green, checkered shirt hard to miss even from the roof—Morita. Only, he isn't Morita anymore. His blond hair is stained red with blood, probably from a wound on the back of his head, and his normally playful green eyes look dull, filled with a deep hunger and outlined in a black shadow. Blood is dripping from his right eyes down to his cheek, like it is from the corners of his mouth as well. In his rubbery hand is the leg of a dead girl whose face is down against the cement.

I cover my mouth, trying to blink away the fresh tears.

Hisashi is always right, but maybe logic isn't the best thing to go on anymore.

"We need to look around," he says in a rush, causing me to pull my gaze away from the horrifying sight in the courtyard. "Maybe we can find a match or a lighter or something. If we don't make a fire now, we're going to be screwed when it gets dark." He punctuates the sentence with a cough, only this time, it's worse: throaty and wet. He slouches over and coughs up blood.

"Hisashi!?" Rei and I say simultaneously. She grasps his arm in support—whether it's for herself or him, I'm not sure. I stay where I'm at, ignoring the urge to go to him as well, and tighten my grip on the railing.

He continues coughing, the blood starting to soak the sleeve of his uniform jacket.

As he leans back against the railing, my eyes widen. He looks worse than a few seconds ago. Blood is dripping down his mouth, falling loudly to the pavement. His normally light skin is now a dark ash, dark grey outlining his brown eyes. His eyes are focusing in and out, glazing over. He's not breathing anymore—it's more like wheezing. The wound where Mr. Wakisaka is worse as well: instead of just teeth marks with blood oozing out of them, it looks like a gaping hole in his arm—the teeth marks somehow expanded and are now showing bone. The blood seeping into the pathetically made wrap is mixed with yellowish puss, tainting the white with swirls of yellow and red.

His smirk is dark, brows drawn together in aggravation. "Just like in the movies," he states, voice breaking. "One bite is fatal."

My eyes are burning, but Rei is already in tears. "Things that happen in the movies don't come true!" she reasons hopelessly.

"But it did happen," he rasps, "to everyone else."

I bite back tears.

Hisashi can't die… he's Hisashi for God's sake! If anyone has a chance of surviving, it's him! He's the one who's made all the decisions up to this point, the reason we weren't trampled by panicking students. How can he be killed by something as harmless as a… as a bite!? It isn't possible, damn it! _None _of this is possible!

"Takashi…" Hisashi tries, interrupting my mental rampage, "Could you do me a favor?"

I can't see Takashi's eyes; they're hidden by his bangs. "…What is it?"

Weakly, he lifts a blood-splattered hand and points towards the railing on the opposite side. "Help me… over the rail. It's straight to the ground from here… so the impact from the fall should smash my head."

Takashi's eyes go wide as he looks at Hisashi, unsure if he can carry out such a heart-wrenching request.

Rei's eyes are wide as well. "What are you saying!?"

"I don't want to be one of them!" he barks, but the effort causes him to hunch over and puke up more blood. Now, instead of just a few splatters, the blood is covering the entire platform beneath him.

Rei grabs a hold of his chest, trying to keep him together, but it doesn't do anything to help.

Hisashi throws his head back and blood erupts from his mouth, drenching both Rei and I.

Takashi simply stands there, not daring to move.

"Come on, Takashi… do it for me." He looks at him like he's already given up, his smile sympathetic. "I want to stay myself… until the end."

Takashi doesn't have time to answer. Hisashi coughs again, more blood spewing onto the concrete, and falls to the ground, rolling in agony. He screams, arms wrapped around himself, and Rei is trying everything she can think of to stop him from hurting, but I think she realizes it's pointless.

"No, Hisashi!" she wails helplessly, "You can't die!"

With a final cry, Hisashi falls silent. I can feel my feet give out, and tumble to my knees, feeling the sharp pain shooting up my legs, but I ignore it. The tears finally fall over and hit the ground loudly.

"Rei…" I whisper, unsure of what to do or say to make her feel better.

She looks up, her own tears soaking her shirt, and clings to me, crushing me with a hug that's full of so much agony, I feel like it's breaking my bones. I hug her back, burying my face in her neck and continue crying.

Something twitches against the fabric of my shirt, though, and I pull away a little as I look at him, breath hitching.

"Get away from him you two," Takashi says emotionlessly, the grip on his bat tight.

Hisashi's torso lifts limply, like a ragdoll, and I freeze, eyes wide. Rei follows my gaze, eyes lightening obliviously as she watches the now-dead Hisashi stand on his feet. His wounds aren't bleeding anymore, but there's still blood dripping from the side of his mouth.

"Look, Takashi!" she cheers pathetically, "He's getting up! He's going to be okay!"

I watch as he towers over me, the gentle and caring eyes completely gone: cold, empty hunger is the only thing there, burning in him.

He isn't Hisashi. He isn't human.

I stand up as Takashi and Rei argue, zoning out what they're saying, and touch the end of the bat. "I'll do it," I mumble.

Takashi's are wide as he looks at me, surprised. "But—"

I shake my head, stopping his protest, and take the bat from his hands. The metal is warm where his hand had been, but it's heavier than it looks. Without looking at him, I pull the hair tie out of my hair, letting it fall to the end of my back, bangs covering my watery eyes. The hair tie falls to the ground, but I don't pay attention.

"This… this isn't happening," Rei whimpers. "This can't be…"

I try to ignore her, try to ignore the pain in my chest, and grip the bat with both hands, steadying the shaking.

Hisashi limps after me with a hungry groan, slowly outstretching his arms as he comes closer.

_He isn't Hisashi_.

Takashi is studying me with calm eyes; I can feel them burning into the side of my face.

_He isn't human._

As _it_ steps into my range, I lift the bat and bring it down on the creatures head with a force that causes me to recoil from the hit. Blood spurts all over me, covering my uniform and leggings with more red—I can actually feel the blood dripping down my leg where the leggings are ripped.

Rei lets out a deafening scream, falling to her knees next to the bloody creature. "Why?" she questions, hand in its hair, "_Why_?"

"It would've killed us if I didn't," I answer simply, but it's not simple: my arms ache, my chest aches, _my hands won't stop shaking_.

"I didn't ask you to save me!" she growls, "I wanted all of us to be okay! And how do you k-know that anyway? What are you? Some kind of expert?"

I try to ignore her, block her out. There's blood dripping down my cheek and I scrub it away with the sleeve of my shirt.

_Stop shaking._

Takashi lays a small towel over his bantered head silently, taking extra effort to avoid my eyes as he does.

_Stop shaking._

"If Hisashi's going to leave me, then I want to become one of Them too!"

"Hisashi wouldn't want that," I say quietly. My voice cracks.

_Stop. Shaking_.

"And how would _you_ know that, Yuki?" Her voice is so dark, I have to look up. She's glaring at me, gaze almost deranged. "Oh, I get it now. You must have hated Hisashi, huh? I saw you, you know. All that time you spent talking to him, laughing like he was _your_ boyfriend and not _mine_. You must have hated that, huh? I bet it drove you insane to think that he ignored your advances because he cared more about _me_ and barely gave you a thou—"

"Shut up!" I scream, covering my ears and falling to my knees. "Just _shut up_!"

She's gaping, but who cares?

"It doesn't matter!" I cry, trying to shake off the tremors. "I don't care who was more important, don't care who he loved more; Hisashi was kind and caring and he's the only one that knows who I am! He doesn't deserve this!" The sobs escape uncontrollably, and I cover my face as Takashi and Rei stare at me with wide eyes. "Hisashi let me live with him, took me in without a reason or complaint, and even agreed to keep everything a secret without any explanation! I have nowhere to go with him gone! I have no home, no family; I have _no one_!"

I lean over Hisashi's remains, crying into his shirt, as they digest everything.

Someone places a hand on my back, and I look up to see Takashi kneeling next to me. Rei is behind him, looking guilty and ashamed.

"You have us," he says, a deep sadness in his eyes. "You have me."

My eyes widen as he pulls me into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around my waist. His words make me feel better, too much better in fact. I return the hug, wrapping my arms around his neck, and cry into his shoulder…

–xxx–

On the day all the madness started, I killed the person I considered my brother, and the guy I cared too much about let me cry on his shoulder until I couldn't anymore.


	2. Escape From the Dead

_A little girl sat under the playground's funhouse, curled in the fetal position. Her white hair had recently been hacked off with something closely resembling old, rusted sheers, and now it barely hung to her shoulders. Her big, green eyes looked dull, swollen and red from all the crying. Her red dress, which had once been covered in frills, was now tattered and torn, huge rips along the end revealing too much skin for an eight-year-old. _

_Unfortunately, her dress wasn't the only thing ripped._

_Several deep cuts covered her legs, trailing all the way up to her mid-thigh. They were still bleeding, staining the mulch under her red, and would surely leave scars._

_That was her second beating that day, and in a fit of desperation, she had ran out of the house, going as far as her legs would take her. She didn't know how long she had been running before she emerged out of the forest and landed herself at some park. Too many people were around, though, staring at her, pointing, so she hid in the first enclosed place she could find: the playhouse on the edge of the woods. _

_It was big enough to fit someone a few inches taller than her, so she didn't have to crouch to get in, and there were two pink, plastic chairs near a plastic table covered in mulch, but it was under a window, so she hid beside them, situating herself in the corner. With nothing to do, she had listlessly examined the rest of the little house. A kitchen set sat on her right, complete with a white, plastic mini fridge, a matching plastic stove, and a counter filled with pink, plastic dishes. She could see etches of what was supposed to be a dishtowel, but years of wearing made it flat and faded. On the left, next to a pink, plastic corded phone, a window on the wall to her left showed kids running around, passing the house like it was invisible. No one would find her; she was safe to cry into her knees until she felt like going back._

_Hisashi's eyes searched for a place to hide. He couldn't hide in the jungle gym—Takashi had found him when he hidden there a few rounds ago—and the fountain was too far away to make it in a few seconds, not to mention the looks he'd get if someone found him crouching in the water. Takashi reached 5, and he almost dashed to the jungle gym anyway, but he saw the old playhouse on the outskirts of the woods. He and Takashi had made a deal not to hide in the trees this round—because it took way too long to hunt someone down in so much forest—but the house was just on the edge, so he wouldn't be breaking any of the rules. Just as Takashi reached 10, Hisashi bolted over to the faded house. The door was small, almost too small, and Hisashi had to inch-worm his way in, flat on his stomach. As soon as he was in, he let out a relieved sigh, but stopped short when he met the eyes of a terrified girl._

_His eyes widened as she dug her back against the wall, tears welling in her big eyes._

_ "__Ready or not, here I come!" he heard Takashi yell._

_He ignored it, fairly sure he was safe in the house, and made his way over to the girl. He had to duck down from the roof, though, because the stupid thing was just too small for him._

_Her breathing hitched, and she could feel the plastic clock on the wall digging into her back, but she didn't care._

_Someone had seen her!_

_Hisashi paused his advanced about a foot away from her. She looked terrified, like he was going to hit her or something. "What's your name?" he asked, going for friendly as he tilted his head. "I haven't seen you in school before."_

_She didn't answer, avoiding his eyes like he had the plague. _

_ "__I'm Hisashi Igou," he gently tried again. "You?"_

_There was a long silence as the girl watched him, gaze torn between desperate and suspicious. "Yuki," she finally mumbled, voice hoarse. "Yuki Hatsune."_

_ "__Nice to meet you, Yuki." He smiled, glad he finally gotten her to talk._

_She didn't return it._

_ "__Hisashi! Where'd you go?" Takashi shouted outside. He was close. So close, Hisashi scooted against the wall and lied flat on his stomach again._

_He heard the footsteps, saw the look of sheer terror on Yuki's face, and then they were gone, wondering off to the next place he figured Hisashi had hidden._

_He let out a breath and sat up. "That was Takashi," he explained, trying to ease the fear in her eyes. "He's a friend from school." _

_She nodded stiffly, barely moving her head._

_He almost sighed. It was clear she didn't want to talk to him, but Hisashi would feel awful if he left her in the house, sobbing. She couldn't be much older than six, but it didn't seem like anyone was looking for her. Surely her parents were worried, right?_

_ "__Do you want me to get your parents?" he asked._

_Her eyes doubled in size, and she shook her head, panicking. If he told her dad she was crying in a playhouse, he'd laugh and beat her until she _couldn't_ cry._

_The reaction surprised him. "Why not?"_

_Her eyes welled up with tears again, and she continued to shake her head vehemently._

_ "__Okay, okay," he said quickly, "I won't."_

_She looked relieved, even relaxed a little. At the very least, she wasn't jammed against the wall anymore._

_ "__How old are you, Yuki?" he tried._

_She stared at him for a long moment. "Eight," she said finally._

_Hisashi blinked, taken back. This girl was only two years younger than him? There was no way._

_Completely thrown, he eyed her again._

_She looked a lot younger than eight. She was pale like a ghost, skin almost translucent; he could practically see the blue vein bulging at the surface. Her body was small, much too small, and seemed to be nothing but skin and bones, like she hadn't eaten in weeks. Her strange colored hair looked ragged and disheveled, bringing out her light green eyes. Below that, he saw small lips, blood dripping from a cut along the middle. His eyes widened as he inhaled sharply. How he had missed the bruises along her upper arm and the gash along her leg, he'd never know._

_She was abused._

_ "__Two years younger than me," he muttered, trying to keep the conversation going without sounding alarmed. "Do you come to this place often?"_

_She hesitated before she shook her head. She wanted to trust him, but she had seen the look on his face when he caught a glimpse of her injuries, heard his intake of breath. She wanted to trust him, but he had only seen a little of what was happening, and already looked horrified._

_His smile was warm, and it was as if the warmth filled her. "Then I'll make you a deal: I'll meet you here tomorrow around the same time and we'll play until I have to go home. Sound good?"_

_She bit her lip, studying him. "O-okay," she stuttered._

_No one had wanted to play with her—all the kids her age avoided her, turned away by the rumors of her father—and she didn't know what the boy was up to, but she selfishly hoped it was out of kindness and not pity._

_She couldn't handle another pity party._

–xxx–

**Observatory on the Roof, Fujimi High School**

**Z-Day 3:52pm**

–xxx–

The sun is blinding me, reflecting off the stained towel draped over Hisashi's head. It's not pleasant anymore, though, not warming my skin or making me smile. Instead, it's highlighting the thing I'd like to forget.

I'm staring blankly at Hisashi's bloodied body, trying desperately not to think about what happened and wishing this nightmare we're in will end soon so I can wake up and tackle Hisashi, but I know it's a stupid wish.

Takashi is sitting next to me, back against the wall with one leg propped up, the other lying straight out. His face is concentrating, lost in thought almost, with his browns drawn together. Rei is on the other side of him with her knees under her chin, arms wrapped around them. The sadness and disgust hasn't wiped from her face yet, but I'm fairly certain she doesn't hate me anymore.

All three of us are thinking about the same thing: Hisashi.

No one's talking still. We have talked since I stopped crying, the only noise being the undead clawing at our barricade. I'm fairly certain I made Rei feel bad, though, because she hasn't looked me in the eye since Takashi let me go, but she has been glancing at me from time to time. I can't really blame her. If I just found out the guy I loved was living with my best friend, I'd be speechless too.

I almost groan.

I shouldn't have broken down like that. I should've let Rei take a few attacks at me, get her anger and grief out, and gone on with life, but, instead, I let my emotions take over and revealed things I shouldn't have: I revealed how I actually felt.

Still… what am I going to do without Hisashi?

The question leaves a heavy feeling in my chest.

"What's the matter?" Takashi asks.

I jump, surprised to hear him say something. "Uh, nothing," I lie, relaxing against the wall again. "Just thinking about how we're getting out of here."

He sighs, but doesn't say anything, looking out at the sky.

"What about you?" Rei asks, looking at him. "What's wrong with you?"

He glances at her before facing forward. "I was wondering the same thing as Yuki."

"That's pretty straightforward," she mumbles.

"What's the point in lying about it?" he retaliates, scratching his head.

She smiles as she watches him, a small smile that she usually held when he did something that surprised her, and stands up. "I think I should let my dad know I'm okay. Can I use your cell?"

He blinks, surprised, and listlessly hands it to her. "I understand that he's a police officer," he starts, standing up, "but we can't even connect to 110."

She dials a few numbers on his cell, and I'm pretty sure she's ignoring him until she puts the phone to her ear.. "I know this secret number he gave me in case of emergencies."

With a small sigh, I join them, stretching before standing on the other side of Rei.

"It got through," she says as I faintly hear the ringing stop.

"Takashi? Is that you?" a man on the other side asks.

"Dad, listen!" Her voice is filled with relief, but she talks fast. "Daddy, we're at school and there's been—"

"Hello? Takashi? You must have gotten this number from Rei," the man rushes, "Is Rei okay? Is she with you? Are you both alright?"

"Daddy, what's the matter? Can't you hear me!?" Rei's voice goes up an octave: she's panicking.

"Listen carefully," he continues, "the entire city is in panic mode ri—" a gunshot causes all of us to flinch "—you need to get out of there! You understand!? The city is in panic mode. You need to evacua—"

Suddenly, the connection is cut, the busy signal buzzing in its place.

Rei takes the phone away from her ear and looks at it. "No service?" she says in disbelief. "But I just called him! I don't understand!"

Her eyes well up with tears as Takashi tried to get her attention.

"Rei, what happened?"

With a feeble turn of her body, she clutches the phone against her chest, looking at Takashi with broken eyes. "Takashi—my dad—he—he didn't know it was me," she mumbles, tears falling. "He didn't even know me."

Takashi looks at her, surprised, and puts hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

I bite back resentment and turn to the city, watching as more and more madness breaks out. In the distance, I see an ambulance truck smash into a cable pole, the cable wires sparking as they break apart and fall to the ground. As the guys in the vehicle try to escape, a mob of men—who don't look like one of Them—ambush them, shooting both of them and taking off with their supplies. As they approach a horde of zombies, though, they try to run over them, but because there's too many, the vehicle flips, sliding on its side into the fire hydrant. It bursts open, water firing high in the air, so high, Rei and Takashi look over at it.

"That's it!" I say, turning around and running to a wooden door near our barricade.

I try to open it, but the door is locked. With a frustrated breath, I kick it. There's a pleasant _crack_ from the wood, and I smirk. With as much force as I can muster, I bring my foot back and ram it into the edge of the door. The metal lock breaks off and the door violently swings open, hitting the inside of the room with another _crack_.

"Hell yeah!" Takashi cheers. "Nice kick, Yuki."

I chuckle a little and step inside the room.

It's the Astronomy Club's storage area. Ten or eleven telescopes of all sizes are stacked in the room along with sleeping bags and a mini fridge in the corner. I don't pay attention to them, though, feeling the wall on the left side, searching. When my hands touch cold metal, I smile.

"Guys," I say, "I have an idea."

Takashi steps into the doorway and looks at me. "What kind of idea?"

I nod to the fire hose, smirking. "Remember that time in eighth grade when the firefighters came to school, and I decided to see how strong the water pressure was?"

Takashi chuckles. "Yeah. You ended up getting us out of school for two weeks for water damage and busted windows."

"Think I can do something like that again?"

His eyes widen as he gets what I'm suggesting. "Yuki, you're a genius!"

I laugh, cheeks heating up as I rub my head. "I don't know about that."

There's a loud _humph_, and Takashi and I turn to Rei, who has a pout on her face, arms crossed. "If you two are done flirting, I'd like to get out of here."

I clear my throat and turn back to the water pump. There's a giant, thick hose next to it, wrapped around a metal stand. When I manage to find the end of it, I twist it onto the water pump and make sure it's tight before handing it to Takashi. "Point it at the tables," I instruct. "The pressure is intense, though, so it'll probably be a little hard to control. Might want Rei to help you. When you two get situated, tell me and I'll turn this wheel."

He nods and carried the hose out of the room. After a few seconds, I hear, "Turn it!"

I turn the wheel as fast as I can. It takes a little more strength than I anticipated since it hasn't been turned on in forever, but after a few hard turns, I manage to get it going. The sound of water going everywhere fills outside, though, and I shake my head, smiling.

The idiot didn't listen to me.

Takashi cusses, and I can hear water raining on the roof.

Quickly, I run to the doorway and see Rei standing behind him, trying to grasp for the possessed hose.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Takashi says, holding the end of the hose in the air, successfully soaking all three of us.

"I told you you needed Rei's help," I muttered.

"Not the time, Yuki," he grumbles, situating himself. As he gets a hold of things, his face hardens. "I didn't like most of your pricks then, and I sure as hell don't like you now," he growls. "Eat it!"

The pressure from the water breaks the cellophane tape, causing the tables to tumble towards Them, crashing all the way to the ground at the bottom of the stairs. The sound of mangled groans grows silent as the water hitting everything takes its place. Some zombies still attempt to crawl towards us, but the water beats them down mercilessly, either smashing their heads against the concrete flooring, or being pushed over the railing on the opposite side.

"The fire hose…" Takashi starts, "Not too shabby."

I smile, walking down the stairs, Rei leading the way. "Thank you; I do try."

My leggings slosh around in my shoes because of how wet I am, and every step Rei and I take splashes from the water, but none of us acknowledge it as Rei takes her place by Takashi and I stand next to her, not in the mood to set her off for being too close to him.

"I think it's okay now," she says enthusiastically.

"How I admire your optimism," he says sarcastically, causing me to chuckle. "You sure about this?"

As if to prove her point, she steps down to the same step as him and holds out his bat. He reaches for it, but their fingers brush against each other, causing them both to stop. They stare, surprised, before Takashi grabs a higher end of the bat, looking away.

"Let's go," he says plainly.

Rei looks away and nods, flushing.

Again, the jealousy burns my chest, making me clench my teeth.

_This is no time to be getting overworked by some high school crush, Yuki!_

I shake off the bitter feeling as Takashi and Rei start running towards the door, knocking over the undead as they attack us. We take the stairs two at a time, heading down to the outside hallway. Without wasting any time to look at the havoc all around us, we speed into the school building, coming into contact with more undead. Surprisingly, there aren't as many as I expect—considering the amount of students in school—and we easily deal with them.

We don't talk much, focused on getting through, but when we reach the stairs to the second floor, Rei speaks up.

"Where are we going?" she asks, breaking the silence.

Takashi pauses, taking a minute before turning to us, smiling. "My house," he says. "We'll go there to get supplied we need, and meet up with other people who haven't turned yet. Then we'll work together and get someplace safe."

I study him, disbelief filling my features. Sure, his plan is logical, and probably the best thing to do, but his smile worries me. I can still see a hint of something in his eyes—fear? Worry?

"Yeah, you're right!" Now that I know my dad's okay…" She pauses, glancing back at me. "Yuki, we should call your house and see if everyone's okay. You too, Takashi."

The thought of my father being okay makes me nauseous.

Rei's eyes widen as she realizes what she just said. "You lived with Hisashi…" she says slowly, processing it and connecting the dots. "Did you two live together…_alone_?"

It's a question that causes my heart to speed up. Familiar, angry grey eyes flash in my mind. A sharp pain in my back, glass shattering, Hisashi frantically talking to me…

"Yuki?" Rei touches my shoulder, but I cringe away from her touch.

"S-sorry," I mumble, trying to pull myself together. "Y-yeah… we lived together alone."

"For how long?" she persists, getting angrier by the minute.

I gulp, not willing to answer.

"How long?" she repeats, now glaring at me.

"Rei, leave her alone," Takashi snaps, pulling me behind him. "She doesn't want to talk about it."

I blink, surprised. Takashi standing up to Rei? For me? That has to be some sort of miracle.

Her eyes narrow, but she sighs, giving in as she looks at Takashi. "What about your parents, Takashi? We should probably call them."

"Waste of time; nobody's home. My dad won't be back in town till next week, and my mom's a school teacher, so she won't be home till five," he explains, turning towards the stairs. "Besides, they get on my nerves."

Rei laughs. "Well, they're parents; that kind of comes with the job."

Takashi distracting her seems to have worked—she's not angry at me anymore.

As we head down the second floor staircase, there's a high-pitched scream that causes all of us to look at the door to the second floor. We look at each other, and Takashi nods. Hastily, I jerk open the door and rush in, heading down the hall and in the direction I thought I heard the scream—the faculty room.

It's not the faculty room, but the room next to it. We arrive the same time as a girl I've never seen before and the school nurse, Ms. Shizuka. Immediately, we all look into the room and see Takagi in tears, a drill in her hands that's pulverizing one of Them. Blood is splashing all over her, covering her in a rain of red as she trembles.

"I can't take it anymore!" she cries over the loud drill. "Someone, please!"

"I'll take the right side," the girl says, holding up her wooden sword.

"I'll hold down the left!" Rei shouts, taking a run after the undead in the room.

As they take on the small horde in the room, I head over to Takagi, kicking the zombie in the head. It crashes to the floor with an unappealing _thud_ next to her, hitting its head against the glass case. She drops the drill, shaking terribly.

"H-Hatsune…" she quivers.

The room falls silent as all the zombies are killed off, only the sound of Takagi hyperventilating softly resonating in the room. I stand next to her, debating on whether she would accept me comforting her or simply push me away. She's looking at herself in the reflection of the trophy case, horrified at how bloody she is.

"Takag—" Kohta starts, but is stopped as Rei and Ms. Shizuka run over. Ms. Shizuka's chest successfully hit the poor guy in the face, making him tumble to the ground hard.

"Takagi, are you okay?" Rei asks gingerly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Miyamoto…"

Since Rei's there, I walk over to Kohta, helping him up. "Are you okay?"

He smiles. "Yeah, I'm alright. Glad you're okay, Yuki."

"Of course." I grin. "After everything we've been through together, how could I not be?"

Our conversation is interrupted by Takashi, who closes and locks the glass door to keep everything out.

"You already know the school nurse, Ms. Shizuka, right?" the girl wonders, looking around at all of us. "I'm Saeko Busujima from class 3-A."

Now that everything's settled, I can finally see her. She's tall, a little taller than me, with violet hair that falls somewhere near the tip of her knees. Her uniform is more traditional, with the long green skirt going all the way to her knees. Long, black socks go up all the way to the end of her skirt, the usual sneakers covering her feet.

"Ah, I'm Takashi Komuro from class 2-B."

"Ms. Busujima, I remember you won the National Championship last year," Rei says, standing up and smiling. "I'm Rei Miyamoto. I'm in the Spear Martial Arts Club."

"I'm Yuki Hatsune from class 1-A," I say, feeling a little young.

Saeko nods, looking at me. "You're the girl that got in a fight with Tsunoda Satoshi this morning."

I laugh uneasily, rubbing my head. "Well, yeah, that was me."

"Oh, and I-I'm Kohta Hirano from Class B, just FYI," Kohta says timidly, playing with his fingers.

She sends him a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you."

Kohta gasps, mouth gaping open as his face reddens.

I chuckle. "Way out of your league," I tease, patting his shoulder.

Everyone laughs.

"Why are you guys being all warm and fuzzy?" Takagi asks darkly, standing up.

"What?" the guys ask.

"Why are you being so polite to her, Miyamoto? You flunked last year, so you're all the same age. She's not your elder. In fact, the only person who's supposed to be respectful is Hatsune, but she's talking to everyone like their old friends of hers."

"What are you talking about, Takagi?" Takashi demands.

"DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE I'M STUPID!" she explodes. "I'M SMARTER THAN ALL OF YOU COMBINED! You should be lucky I'm even in the same school as you! I'm a—I'm a…"

Saeko walks over to her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder, as if she's afraid she'll break. "It's okay. That's enough."

It's like all the venom is wiped out as she looks over at the trophy case again, staring at her messy clothes and red-painted body. "Look at me…" she mumbles, voice cracking. "All these blood stains… now mom will have to take it to the cleaners…"

Takashi walks over to her, looking at her through the reflection with a solemn look, reminding her that it's okay.

The tears in her eyes fall over as she turns to Saeko and buries her face in her chest, gripping her sleeves tightly in her fists. With a loud cry, she breaks down. Everyone watches with sad eyes as both Saeko and Takagi slide to the ground, Takagi still holding onto her for life. She cries until she can't cry anymore…

When her sobs turn to hiccups and she manages to calm herself, she pulls away from Saeko, wiping her eyes.

"There's a sink in the faculty room," I offer, nodding to the room next door. I know because I was sent there just this morning with Tsunoda. "You can wash your face there."

She looks up at me and nods.

"Alright," Takashi says, heading over to the sliding door.

After a quick nod, he, Saeko, and Rei all rush out the door, the rest of us closely behind. There's only a few of Them running around, so we get to the next room's door fairly easily—Takashi only has to take out a few that get in our way, and he manages to do it quietly. As soon as we're inside, Takagi heads straight to the bathroom, while Kohta, Takashi, Saeko, and I all start stacking chairs and boxes in front of the door, barricading ourselves in.

"What d'you think?" Takashi asks as we steps back, examining our handiwork.

Kohta nods his head. "Nice."

Saeko heads to a chair near a teacher's desk, rubbing her shoulder. "I think it's enough for now. Let's take a quick break."

"I agree," I say. "Besides, it looks sturdy enough to me."

"Awesome," Kohta says, heading to the bathroom to see if Takagi's okay.

I let out a sigh and collapse on the nearest chair, leaning my head against a chair holding our barricade up and closing my eyes.

"So, you know Kohta?" Takashi asks, sounding genuinely surprised.

"Yeah," I answer, opening my eyes to look at him. "Remember when I used to sneak into the school? Well, Kohta was the one who used to help me avoid all the teachers."

"Really?" he wonders. "I thought only Morita and I knew about that."

They're just questions that would easily be answered, honestly, not pressuring questions that make me want to run away, but it's still unnerving. Takashi has never asked anything about things I do—he's always concerned with something going on with Rei. Only once or twice can I remember times when Takashi cared enough to ask me something, and those were only because he either caught a glimpse of old scars, or because he caught someone else tormenting me. But petty conversations about details from last year—that's Rei specialty.

It makes me wonder why he decides to be so interested now. Of course, he did just find out that I am—_was_—living with Hisashi.

Luckily, Kohta chooses now to talk to Takagi. "Are you alright?" There's a pause before I hear Kohta inhale sharply. In a high-pitched voice—that can only be categorized as pleasantly surprised—he asks, "Y-y-you w-wear glasses?" His voice even cracks.

"Shut up!" Takagi snaps in defense. "My contact have been in for too long and keep making my eyes water."

Oh, lovely, she's back to her old self. Wonderful.

I let out another sigh and close my eyes, only to snap them open against when I hear someone approach me.

"Here you go," Rei says, handing a water bottle in her hands to Takashi. "And here's one for you too, Yuki."

I smile. "Thanks."

She returns it, although it's a little forced. It makes my chest tight that she's so mad at me. In the two and half years I've known her, she's never been mad at me. Upset? Sure, but never outright pissed like she seems to be now.

I groan softly and set the bottle aside, resting my head against the chair again.

Today's going to be a long day.

"Ms. Shizuka, where're your car keys?" Takashi asks.

"Oh!" She says it like she just remembers why our goal was this room in the first place. She starts digging through her brown, backpack purse. "There in here somewhere."

"Is your car even big enough to fit all of us?" Saeko asks.

"Well, now that I think about it…" she trails off, deflating.

"What about the microbuses we use for the clubs' away games?" Saeko offers." It looks like the keys are on the wall hook."

Kohta opens the blinds enough for him to see outside. "I see the buses; they're out in the teacher's parking lot."

"That's fine, but where are we going?" Ms. Shizuka asks, turning to Takashi.

"We're going to make sure our families are okay," Takashi explains, sitting down next to me. "Since all of us live near here, we'll just start with the family who lives the closest. If you're worried about your family, or if they need it, we'll bring them with us. After that, we'll look for a safe place to stay."

"We're bound to find a place," I say, looking up. "The police and Self-Defense Force are on it, after all. If they handled this like they handle earthquakes and other disasters, then there should be a place everyone's being evacuated too."

"What is this?" Rei mumbles, staring at the muted television screen mounted on the wall.

Everyone turns to her.

The screen is showing a news broadcast that's live, someplace near the park in the middle of Fujimi.

Saeko picks up the remote and turns up the volume, and Takashi stands up to go over to the rest.

"The government has begun to reconsider the emergency measure against the outbreaks that have been occurring in locations around the city," the woman on the screen says, holding a stack of papers in her hands.

"Outbreaks?" Takashi repeats with agitation. "What do they mean 'outbreaks'!?"

"However, all the political parties have been expressing their uncertainty as the—"

Saeko changes the channel, switching to another, more reliable, news channel.

"It's been feared that more than ten thousand have been victimized in the Saitama area so far. The governor has already called for the—"

There's a loud shot in the background, and the news woman cringes away from her right, looking horrified. I jump up and head over to the rest, who have gravitated towards each other.

"It's a gunshot!" the woman says with more feeling—fear. "From what I can see, there—"

The camera man turns the cameras towards body bags about to be moved into an ambulance. The white bags, which are supposed to contain dead bodies, start sitting up. More gunshots are heard as the police attempt to kill the already-dead.

The woman's voice pauses. She's off-screen, so we can't see her, but we can sure as hell hear her. "No! NO!"

Suddenly… static.

We all stare with wide, horrified eyes. Unconsciously, I grip Takashi's sleeve and clench my eyes shut.

What the hell is going on?


	3. Democracy Under the Dead

_Yuki smirked at Hisashi, who looked impressed._

_ "__Wow, Yuki, you're really improving," he said, using the nickname he had come up with the last time they hung out._

_ "__Thank you," she said. "I do try."_

_He chuckled, straightening up from his fighting stance._

_They had been training for almost five hours now, the sun nearly under the horizon now. Hisashi, who was already a brown belt in Karate, had made a deal with her a few months ago when he finally confronted her about her parents._

_The conversation hadn't been pleasant to say the least. Hisashi had to keep her from running away from him multiple times, even before he managed to say what he wanted to say. Afterwards, it wasn't her running away that bothered him; it was her resignation to everything that happened to her. He had asked her why she didn't try to get help, and she said there wasn't any use. When he told her that her father could end up killing her, hoping to convince her that way, her reply had sent chills down his spine._

_ "__I'm not afraid of dying," she mumbled, "as long as no one has to take my place."_

_He knew she would never leave her mother alone with that man—even if Hisashi couldn't see the reason to protect someone who let their own child get beat in their place—so he compromised. If she promised to learn self-defense, he wouldn't tell anyone about the parental problem. She agreed, but she wanted Hisashi himself to teach her. The idea that she trusted him warmed his heart, honestly._

_Yuki stretched out her back, bending as far back as she could. She was in her new Junior High uniform: a short, maroon-colored skirt and a long-sleeve, white shirt with a matching maroon tie. Sadly, because of the skirt, she was forced to wear leggings when at school, but she had stripped them off, unwilling to let them hinder her movements when she was sparing with Hisashi._

_Hisashi caught a sight of red along her wrist. "Hey, Yuki."_

_She straightened up, looking at him with a slight tilt of her head. "What's up?"_

_ "__What happened to your arms?" he asked, his question causing her body to go rigid. "Did your dad—"_

_ "__Don't worry about it," she interrupted nervously, trying to deter him. "I'm really hungry, though. We should get something to eat."_

_It was futile, though, and she should've known that. Even if she was able to lie at everyone in school, she couldn't lie to Hisashi. He could always see through whatever she tried, no matter how well she hid it. The benefits of growing up with her._

_ "__Roll down your sleeves," he barked._

_She flinched, stomach sinking. "W-why?"_

_He grabbed her arm roughly, causing her to whimper. Hisashi was always calm and collected—for him to lose his temper like that meant she was in serious trouble._

_He rolled down her sleeve, ignoring her attempts to yank her arm out of his reach, and gaped at the fresh wounds._

_ "__Yuki…" he breathed. Trailing up her forearm were thick, delicate cuts. Deep and swollen, he could barely make out scars beneath the fresh wounds. "Where… but… how… he couldn't have made them so straight…"_

_They both knew the 'he' he was referring to was her dad._

_She snatched her arm back, humiliated and scared. "Don't worry about them," she mumbled. "They're not important."_

_ "__Not important?" he repeated, bewildered. "You're hurting yourself and it's _not important_?"_

_Yuki avoided his gaze. It wasn't important—not to anyone but Hisashi. Her dad was so sloshed most of the time that he thought he had done them, and the thought that he managed to scar her more than normal absolutely thrilled him. Her mom wouldn't even look at her._

_He was speechless, worried, hurt. How could it have come to this? How could he _let_ it come to this? He was supposed to help her work through everything—he cared for her so much, after all, like a sister he never wanted—how could he not have noticed things had gotten so bad?_

_It was the last straw. He couldn't allow it to go on anymore. She was already thirteen, and even if he was only fifteen, he knew what he had to do. He was going to wait till she was out of middle school at least, but he couldn't anymore._

_ "__Yuki…" he began, knowing he would have to explain to Takashi and Rei why there was a new girl tagging along with them. "I think you should move in with me._

–xxx–

**Faculty Room, Fujimi High School**

**Z-Day 4:37pm**

–xxx–

The fuzziness disappears, a "Please Stand By" screen popping up. It almost makes me sick how happy and carefree the damn thing looks. Takagi rolls her eyes, showing me she feels the same about it.

Thankfully, the annoying picture is replaced with a pretty female reporter. Her brown hair is pulled into a messy bun, some of it sticking out. Her brown eyes look determined and focused, no hint of the horrors outside in them.

"There appears to be a problem with our remote," she lies smoothly. "From now on, we'll bring you the story from inside the studio."

We can hear the chaos off-camera, though. It's like everyone is trying to talk all at once.

"The condition outside is extremely chaotic, so stay home unless it's absolutely necessary to go outside. We'll bring you more stories as soon as it's safe to cover the situation from the sight."

_Wham_

I jump at the sound of Takashi's palm hitting the table in frustration. "Is that all!? Why didn't they tell us anything else?" he demands to no one in particular.

"They're afraid of causing a panic," Takagi answers.

"A panic?" Rei repeats, questioning.

"Yeah, you idiot!" Takagi growls.

"Will you can it, Takagi?" I snap. "No one needs your know-it-all attitude right now, okay?"

"Coming from the girl who can't keep from beating someone who just touches her shoulder!" she shoots back.

I clench my teeth, anger boiling. "You don't know anything, so keep your trap shut!"

"_Excuse_ me?" she grouses.

I open my mouth, but a hand falls on my shoulder and I look over to Takashi. "Calm down you two. This isn't the time to be fighting."

I cross my arms and turn away from her, glaring at the wall.

So help me God, if I have to stay with that know-it-all hag, I'll kill myself.

"What were you saying, Takagi?" Takashi asks, obviously hoping if she gets to show off her knowledge, she'll calm down as well. "Something about panicking? Even after that news broadcast everyone just saw?"

"_Because_ of what they just saw," she says." Fear causes chaos, and chaos can destroy order in a city. If there's no order, then who knows how many lives will be lost."

"This unusual and unprecedented phenomenon that spread through North America…"

I turn the woman's voice out, leaning against Takashi's arm. I do it unconsciously, much in the way I did to Hisashi when the VP was murdered over the PA system, but it's different this time: not only is Takashi not like Hisashi in any way, the feelings I have for the two are entirely different. Takashi simply looks down at me and wraps an arm around me like Hisashi would've done, pulling me against him so I can relax into his side. Of course, unlike if it were Hisashi, his arm is more awkward, almost touching my lips since I'm facing the opposite way. To make it easier, I turn back around, facing the now-calm Takagi.

_You have me_.

His words echo in my head, and I feel my face flush.

"So, they're everywhere?" Takashi asks in disbelief.

I can't blame him. It _is_ almost impossible for something this huge to happen so fast.

"That's crazy," Kohta argues. "Everything was normal when I checked the internet this morning."

"I can't believe this," Rei mumbles. "This happened all over the world in a matter of a few hours." He voice cracks as she slowly backs up to Takashi, not noticing me. When she feels for his sleeve and instead touches my cheek (my head only goes up to Takashi's chin), she finally looks over with surprise before her eyes narrow, the jealousy evident on her face. Instead of her say something about it like I think she will, she lets her hands fall to her sides and settles with standing next to him.

Even so, I can't help feeling as if I've somehow started a war between the two of us.

"They'll stop it, right?" she asks hopelessly. "I mean, they have to stop it from spreading, then everything'll go back to normal."

"That's not going to happen." Takagi's tone makes me feel like she's talking to a five-year-old.

"Why do you have to be so blunt about it?" Takashi takes up for Rei.

"This is a _pandemic_ we have on our hands," she says simply, shrugging. "There's nothing we can do, so there's no use getting our hopes up."

"A pandemic…" Ms. Shizuka says, almost in disbelief.

Everyone looks a little confused, so I elaborate. "A pandemic is an outbreak of the same disease worldwide."

"So what? It's some kind of epidemic?" Takashi asks, trying to get a better understanding.

Takagi sighs, like she's talking to a bunch of children. "It's a lot like the Spanish Flu of 1918. Recently, they said that the whole Swine Flu thing had the potential to reach the levels of what happened in 1918. It was because over 600 _million_ people got infected by the Spanish Flu and 50 million were killed by it." She looks at Takashi. "So, no, it's not an epidemic; it's _worse_."

"Not to be disagreeable, but I think this is more like the Black Death from the 14th Century," Shizuka corrects.

"One third of the European population died," Takagi muses. "You're smarter than you look."

"How did the outbreak finally end?" Takashi asks her.

"Well, there are many theories," Shizuka says. "It usually stops when too many humans die—there wouldn't be enough people to spread the disease—but…"

"But, now, all the dead people come back to life and attack others," Kohta says, looking away from the window he'd been watching.

"Are you saying there's no reason for this outbreak to stop?" Saeko says emotionlessly, face blank.

"Oh! I know!" Shizuka's eyes light up, like she's excited. "The weather's going to be hot! They might not be able to move if their flesh decomposes and they become skeletons."

I shake my head, stopping her train of thought. "I don't think so."

"What're you talking about, Yuki?" Takashi asks, looking down at me.

"Remember what we're talking about: _moving_ corpses," I explain. "People aren't exactly supposed to come back from the dead according to medical logic, which can't apply to the undead. They might not decompose, and even if they do, it might not matter."

"First thing we need to find out is if our families are okay," Takashi says. "Then we need to find someplace safe to stay for a while."

"Before we do anything, we need to understand that we're a team," Saeko interrupts. "In order to survive, we need to work as one, or we're going to end up getting killed."

"Teams," Takashi suggests. "We'll split and pick up survivors. It'll be easier to take care of Them when we're with someone else, but we can still cover more ground if we're spread out."

"He has a point," Saeko agrees.

"I'll go with Yuki," Takashi offers, nodding to me. "We need to find her a weapon so she's not defenseless."

"Alright," Saeko says, "Rei and I will take care of Ms. Shizuka and hunt down survivors."

"And Hirano and I will continue to find out more about Them," Takagi says.

Takashi nods. "Let's do it."

"What's the best way out of here?" Rei asks.

"Sorry to break it to ya, stupid, but we're just going to have to go out the front," Takagi grumbles.

Everyone remains silent, so I decide to ignore her remark.

"Let's go," Takashi says.

Kohta slides open the door and reveals a few undead standing in front of us. Their heads lazily turn in our direction. Without hesitating, Kohta takes out the first two, hitting them in the center of their forehead with his nail gun. Takashi follows suit and bashes one in the side, knocking him loudly to the ground. We all break apart as we head down the halls, though. Takagi and Kohta head straight for the school's main entrance, but Saeko, Rei, and Shizuka head to the stairs on the other side of the building, searching for survivors. Takashi and I head to the outside classroom, where the Mechanical classes are held. There are plenty of undead idiots around, but they don't seem to notice us as we rush past into the "garage," which was just a small room filled with tools for beginner mechanics.

"Figured there'd be something you can use in here," Takashi explains as he opens the door.

I nod and rush in as soon as the door's opened enough for me to fit.

The room is surprisingly bare, just black-top tables piled against a wall across from me. Everything's spewed on the floor, as if someone ransacked the place and then left without a care. Against the back wall, directly to my left, is a long line of tall, metal lockers. I yank it open and see a couple crowbars hanging on hooks. Grabbing the biggest one, I meet Takashi back out in the hall.

"Ready," I say. "We can go."

We head out of the room and slip back into the main hallway, rushing to the entrance. Our path is blocked by dozens of undead, though, so we back track, going up the stairs on the opposite end of the school so we can meet up with the others on the second floor. Sure enough, everyone is gathered on the last flight of stairs before the main entrance. Three more students, whom I've never seen before, are gathered with them.

"Man, there's a lot of them," Takashi mutters.

"More than we saw at first," I agree.

"Glad you two could join us," Takagi says sarcastically. "From what I can tell, the only things they react to are sounds, so it's pointless to hide from them."

"Why don't you go down there and prove that theory," Takashi asserts.

She cringes and pouts, looking away.

"But even if we keep going through the inside the school, once we get attacked, we're going to be stuck," Saeko says.

"So we might as well go through the gay!" Rei says hotly. "We don't have any choice if we want to get out."

"First, someone needs to go and confirm Takagi's theory," Saeko states easily. Except what the sentence entails isn't easy.

Everyone looks at the other, the same question running through their minds: who?

I look at their faces and sigh. No one wants to put themselves in danger for something like a theory.

No one wants to die.

"I'll go," I say, breaking the tense silence. "I'll do it."

Their heads snap to me all at once, eyes wide.

"But, Yuki—"

I cut Rei off with my hand. "If I don't do it, who will?"

"I think I should," Saeko suggests.

I shake my head. "You're needed here, Saeko. If they attack me, they're next targets will be up here, you guys'll need all the manpower you can get with that many."

"Why you?" Takashi demands.

_Because I'm not afraid of dying._

"Because I'm the youngest," I point out. "If I can't test out a few theories, what else am I good for?"

Takagi scoffs. "There's a difference between being the younger and dying, Hatsune."

"Aw~ Is Takagi worried about me?" I simper.

Her eyes widen, but she crosses her arms, scowling. "Whatever. I just don't want Stupids here blaming me for your death," she says, pointing her thumb at Takashi and Rei.

I smile, shaking my head, and head down the steps.

"Yuki, wait!" I hear Rei call, which makes my smile widen. At least she doesn't hate me so much she doesn't care what happens to me.

"Don't," Saeko says, holding her back with her arm. "I understand, but you can't interfere. This was her decision."

"Takashi, why didn't you—" Rei starts to reprimand, but stops when she sees his face.

Takashi is just staring after me, concentrating. He must have recognized the feeling in my eyes, known what it was.

The staircase never seems to end as I take each step as quietly as I can. My heart if pounding in my ears, adrenaline warning me that something isn't right. It's necessary for me to do this; we need to know more about these creatures.

In all honesty, being only sixteen barely matters to me. The rest—besides Takagi and Kohta, who are both seventeen—being eighteen has never mattered because Hisashi always made an effort to make me feel like I was included, and no one really realizes how young I am until they find out what grade I'm in anyway. But I feel like I haven't done much to help, especially since the rooftop, I haven't had a weapon, so Takashi's been trying to cover my ass _and_ his. This way, I can be useful.

Besides, dying doesn't scare me.

I hit the bottom step and pause, waiting. When nothing happens, I practically tip-toe to the center of the room, eyes watching all of the dead students surrounding me. An upperclassman I've never seen before turns to me, mouth opening as he heads my way. I hold my breath, holding his gaze, but even when my shoulder brushes along his arm, all he does is moan airily and continue on his way to the wall.

I let out a small, relieved breath, and force my hands to stop shaking.

This is the first time I'm grateful for Takagi's know-it-all personality.

I look back at everyone, seeing most of them look relieved as well, and wink. Takashi rolls his eyes, but Rei's eyes fill with tears. Shaking my head, I bend down and slip off my flats. My leggings aren't much protection—I can feel the cold, wet tiles seeping into them, soaking my feet with old blood—but they'll have to do. Quickly, I chuck my flats against the lockers, hearing a soft but definite _bam_. The students near me let out confused groans and head towards the noise, leaving the entrance clear. I walk over to the double doors, being careful to not make any sounds, and push them open with a soft _click_.

The others walk down without any noise, and Takashi takes the other door to hold it open for the rest. Just when I think we're home free, the boy with the metal prong heads down the stairs. Even from where I am, I can tell his hands are sweaty and shaking. Ever so slightly, the metal bounces off the railing to the stairs.

_Ding_. The sounds resonates all around us.

It all seems to happen in slow motion. All of us turn to the culprit, even the ones who've already make it out the door, and it's as if all the undead follow our lead, even the ones all the way out in the courtyard distracted.

"RUN!" Takashi shouts.

Everyone dashes out of the doors and across the yard, leaving Takashi, Takagi, and I rushing along the student with the prong.

"Why did you open your big mouth?" Takagi shouts. "We could've made it just by taking care of the ones that were close by if you hadn't said anything!"

Before Takashi can retaliate, one of Them appears behind her, ready to take a chunk out of her shoulder. Quickly, I run at her before slipping to my side and nailing the zombie just above the ankle. It falls forward, and I have to scramble in order to get out of the way. The kick does its job, at least: the undead can't move now.

Takagi's staring at me with wise eyes as Saeko bashes the zombie in the head, making sure it'll stay down.

"What?" I ask nonchalantly. "Don't act like you wouldn't have done the same for me."

She gapes, pointing at my legs.

I look down and cuss. The concrete had literally ripped my leggings to shreds. The thick scar running along my thigh is pronounced, like it's spiting me. Compared it, the older, thinner scars are barely visible.

"—the hell?" Takashi breathes.

"Guys, now isn't the time to be staring off into spa—" Rei's eyes widen as she turns to us, the sentence dying in her throat. "Yuki, those are…"

"Watch out!" Saeko shouts, knocking another dead student out of the way. "Seriously, guys, don't you understand the mayhem we're in?"

That snaps them out of it.

Takashi rips his eyes away from my legs and turns to the horde of Them limping our way.

"There're too many," Kohta says, echoing the dismay I feel.

Takashi clenches his hands around his metal bat and charges ahead of us. With a powerful swing, he takes out one of Them, sending it flying to the side. When he brings his bat back down, blood smears along the concrete.

"Forget talking," he barks, readying himself as another comes. "Just run!"

Saeko runs up to catch him, both of them bashing in the faces of as many undead students as they can. Rei and I are closely behind, fighting together to take care of the ones they miss. Without any of us realizing it, one of the survivors they had saved, a boy with a towel draped around his neck, is surrounded. As he swings, one grabs hold of the ends of the towel, biting into his arm.

"Takuzo," a girl with dark, shoulder-length hair shouts.

"Naomi, run!" the boy, Takuzo, shouts as the small horde encases him.

I turn around to see what's going on just in time to see Naomi try to run to him. Takagi, however, grabs her wrist to keep her back.

"Just forget him!" she shouts. "Once you're bitten, it's pointless!"

The girl gives Takagi a look of helplessness, but it's marred by a strong resolve. Tears fall down as she shakes her head, yanks her hand away from Takagi, and turns to the already-dead Takuzo.

"Wait a minute!" Takagi tries to reason. "You heard me, didn't you? He's not going to make it! Why are you going back to him?"

Shizuka backs up, a look of horrific understand etched into her features. "I understand," she mumbles. "If the entire world turned into this, I'd rather die with the person I love…"

Takagi turns to her with a glare. "Oh, shut up, Dr. Bleeding Heart!" she growls.

"Look out!" Kohta shouts, nailing another man-eating student that tries to attack Takagi.

"What?" she responds, almost clueless.

"Don't you worry, Takagi," Kohta says, standing in front of her like a bodyguard.

"You rude little otaku!" she screams. "How dare you interrupt me when I'm talking! Why would you do that?"

I roll my eyes, taking out a zombies that tries to take a piece out of my side.

"I don't know…" he says, puzzled. Then he turn to her with a sweet, innocent smile. "Because I really like the sound of your voice."

Her eyes widen as she jumps back, cheeks heating up.

More of Them are crowding around us, and I take it as a sign to get moving. With a quick turn of my heel, I rush towards Takashi and Ms. Shizuka. Saeko, who had gone to tease Takagi and Kohta, is now beside me, helping me fend off the monsters.

Takashi, with a quick flick of his wrist, bashes in a zombie's head about to attack Shizuka. "Ms. Shizuka, the keys!"

She nods. "Right!"

The sound of the bus doors sliding open is a relief. Quickly, Takashi, Saeko, and I stand near the doors fending Them off as Rei, Takagi, and Kohta all rush on to the bus. The horde is drawing closer, so we end up crowding the door.

"Let's go," Saeko says. "Everybody's inside."

"Ladies first," Takashi says, nodding to the door.

I give him a look that say, 'Really?' but he just shrugs. With a sigh, I climb up the stairs and take a seat in front of Takagi. Rei is on the other side of the isle, right behind Ms. Shizuka, who's freaking out about the size of the bus.

"Oh! It's different from my little Bug!" she says, pointing at each part as she tries to figure out what it is.

Just as Takashi is about to shut the door, panicking students can be heard in the distance. I stand up to get a better look at the seven or so students (who aren't dead, just saying) running towards our vehicle. With hard eyes, I recognize three: Yuuki, Tsunoda, and Shido.

My teeth clench and I sit down, refusing to help.

"Who's that?" Takashi asks.

"Mr. Shido of class 3-A," Saeko says, a scowl in her voice.

I look over at Rei, well away of her hatred for Mr. Shido, and notice the glare painted on her face.

Then, Takashi says the dumbest thing. "Way just a little bit longer."

Rei stares at him with utter disbelief, and I shake my head, unwilling to get in the middle of it.

"They're right in front of us," Shizuka warns. "If we wait any longer, we won't be able to drive through here."

"Run 'em down," Takashi answers simply, voice deep with determination.

"If Dr. Boobs tries to drive over that many, we'll flip the bus," Takagi says blankly, staring out the window.

Takashi clenches his teeth and turns to bolt off the bus, but Rei is faster as she grabs his arm. "We don't have to save him," she hisses savagely.

He turns on the top step to look at her, making them the same height. "Jesus Christ! What do you mean we don't have to save him?"

"We don't have to save him!" she repeats, shouting this time. "We should just leave him here to die!"

He stares at her, eyes wide with shock, and pushes her away, disgusted.

The action surprises both of us. This is the second time in one day Takashi has treated Rei with such force. First, it was to defend me, now, it's to defend strangers. It's more than a little surprising. Usually, he'd gently pry her away, or give in, but now, it's like something's clicked in him.

Everyone piles on the bus, and Rei goes back to her seat with bitterness on her face.

As soon as Shido climbs on, Takashi shouts, "Ok, go!"

"Hang on!" Shizuka stomps on the gas pedal.

The wheels screech to life in protest of such treatment before we speed away.

Takashi looks around for a seat, and I stand up, offering him the seat next to me. However, the bus manages to tip on two wheels just in time, causing me to crash into Takashi's chest. He and I fall to the ground with a painful _thud_. When I look up, rubbing my head, I see our faces are separated by mere inches of air. Bright red, I scramble to my feet.

"S-sorry," I mumble.

He runs a hand through his hair, the light tin of red on his face as well. "Uh… d-don't worry about it."

Kohta grins as I try to sit down again, but I pretend like I don't notice.

"To the gate!" Takagi instructs, rising herself from her seat.

"I know!" Shizuka snaps.

I watch as Shizuka has a war with herself, obviously having problems killing the corpses outside, but she quickly snaps out of it, pressing the gas hard and busting us through the gate.

"Are you ever going to tell us about those scars?" Takashi asks suddenly, looking at me.

My eyes widen and my breath catches in my throat. "W-w-what?"

He sighs, giving up, and puts a comforting hand on my head. "You know what? Forget I said anything."

The gesture catches me off guard and I stare at him with confusion.

As if he just realizes what he did, his hand freezes, face turning red. "Uh… I uh… I didn't mean…"

There's a pause before we both laugh.

"Don't worry about it," I say, smiling as I repeat what he had said only a few minutes before.

He returns my smile.

"I can't believe we did it," I say truthfully. "It seems impossible now that I think about it."

"Yeah," Takashi says, glad to have something to change the subject. "I understand what you mean."

"Thank God we managed the impossible," another voice says. The sound makes my skin crawl.

Takashi and I turn to see Shido, who's hovering next to us like some creepy spirit. "I take it you've been appointed leader then?"

I look up at him, blinking. "Um, no? There's no leader."

"That's not good," he says, shaking his head. "In order to survive, we'll need a leader, a leader who bares everything. A leader with valor, with confidence, one who will promise to protect everyone at all costs."

"You'll regret this," Rei says quietly. "I guarantee you'll regret you ever helped him."

I agree with her; the guys makes my stomach curl.

"Look at the city!" someone shouts.

We all turn towards to window, eyes widening. Even from the distance, you can see the smoke from fire rising high in the air.

"Shit." To my serious displeasure, it's Tsunoda. The guy's gruff and demanding voice is hard to mistake for anyone else.

I turn around in my seat to see him standing up, looking pissed. His face is caked in sweat, causing his brown hair with his stupid blond Mohawk down the middle to droop down more than usual.

"It's dangerous if we keep going to the city!" he barks, causing my muscles to tighten. "First of all, why do we have to go with Hatsune and the others? You guys are the ones who decided to go back to the city! Maybe we should have just looked for a safe place inside the school or something. If you ask me, we were better off where we were."

"He's right!" a scrawny boy inserts. "I kinda agree with Tsunoda. We should barricade ourselves—"

"Shut up," I growl, standing up. "That's enough. Sit the hell down Tsunoda before I make you. You want to go back to the school 'cuz you think it's safer? Be my freaking guest. No one forced you to get on; you did were practically begging us to let you one, I'll have you know, and we risked our asses so you could bored. Want to know why we make the rules? Because _we_ were the ones who fought to get on and _you_ were the ones who slithered in like a snake. Get it?"

During my tirade, his eyes has slipped to my bare legs and ripped skirt. It's the first time since Hisashi that anyone's seen them, and it makes me want to run away at how scrutinizing he is—like a mixture of perverted want, and disgust. He moves closer, and I clam up.

This is how our fighter started this morning. The black, uniform bowtie had slipped off, loosened from my dash to get to school on time, and Tsunoda decided to take it upon himself to reach for my chest.

Surprisingly, Takashi stands up, making Tsunoda look at him.

It's like something snaps in him. The want in his eyes is taken over by disgust, and he stops any advances to move closer.

"How about you tell me what you want to do?" Saeko offers more calmly.

He looks at her, surprised, as if his entire rampage was just something out of boredom.

"I-I just can't stand that bitch!" he says, pointing at me.

Kohta readies his weapon, making the corners of my mouth turn up, but Takagi holds out her hand, signaling not to get in the way.

I shrug, crossing my arms. "There's a surprise. Last time we talked, I rejected you."

Tsunoda clenches his teeth, remember the embarrassment when I bent his finger back after a group of students had "oo"ed about his attempt to grope me.

"Damn bitch!" he hisses, charging at me with first hands balled in fists.

Big mistake.

Using all the frustration, agitation, and hurt, I bring back my leg and ram it into his gut, satisfied when he gasps for air. He falls down, landing on his side as he holds his stomach, spit covering the floor.

"Think about that the next time you decide to run your mouth," I say, glaring down at him. "Douche bag."

Someone starts clapping, and I look up to Shido, who's walking towards me. "Bravo, Ms. Hatsune! Very good~" he coos, stepping over the pained Tsunoda as if he's a rug. "Simply outstanding reflexes. You're only sixteen, am I right? I'm impressed. At any rate, a conflict like that only proves my point: we need a leader."

I raise a brow, suddenly wondering if Tsunoda had a hand in starting his ranting session.

"Surely a young girl such as yourself doesn't want such a difficult responsibility on her shoulders."

"So you're going to run for the position, then?" Takagi guesses. She doesn't seem too pawned of the idea either.

"I _am_ a teacher, Ms. Takagi. While mature, you all are barely out of your teens," he explains. "That alone makes it very clear who is qualified to lead this group. I have experience!" he states dramatically, turning to the group in the back. "Why, just moments ago I saved all of these _brave_ students! What do you guys say?"

The idiots start clapping, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

He bows, smiling politely. "There you have it! It's been decided. The majority seems to have made the choice quite clear, yes?"

I smile darkly, walking over to him. "You know," I start, lowering my voice so Takashi and the others don't hear, "just because they want you to be the leader, doesn't necessarily mean we have to listen. See, I don't like what you did to my best friend, so if you think you're doing anything to endanger any one of my friends, I'll make it my personal mission to get rid of you and your little followers. Just a food-for-thought."

He turns to me with a look of pure hatred, probably one of the first real expressions he's had on his face since he got on the bus, but he tries to cover it up. "Why, I don't know what you're talking about—"

"I've dealt with plenty of people like _you_," I sneer, glaring. "People who think brainwashing others with fake comfort, then morph it into fear—they make me sick!"

"You would know, wouldn't you?" He returns my dark look, voice dropping as the edges of his mouth curl malevolently. "I met your father just two days ago; Sora Hatsune, correct? Nice man if I do say so myself. He and my father are… old acquaintances. Just the other day, he was talking about his runaway daughter he had to beat to instill some kind of control in. That wouldn't be you now, would it?"

My stomach drops, sinking, and I can hear the pounding of my head in my ears, feel my pulse. My fists clench, and I curse the water building in my eyes.

Before I say—or do—anything I'll regret, I turn sharply, jumping off the bus as fast as I can. I can hear popping noises in my ears, see red. Dad is screaming at Hisashi, telling him that I'm not worth saving, that I should be left to rot. Don't hit him. Don't hit him. Don't hit him.

"Yuki!" Takashi calls after me, pulling me from pumping adrenaline and old memories. "Get back on the bus."

"No." I try to make it sound firm, but my voice shakes. I don't turn to him. "You guys go on without me; I'll be fine."

"Idiot," he says through gritted teeth. "Get back on the bus."

"I agree with her," Rei barks, trying to get past Takashi.

"Sit down," Takashi orders savagely.

Surprising everyone, Rei actually listens, sitting down with a glare. I think Takashi scared her, honestly.

"There's nothing I can do if she doesn't want to act in accordance with us…" I hear Shido spout with fake regret.

"Us?" Takashi repeats. "What us?"

I bite the inside of my lip too hard; I can taste blood. With a deep breath, I walk on, determined to get as far away from him as possible.

"Wait." Takashi grabs my hand, tugging me back, and forces me to turn to him. "Seriously, Yuki, get on the bus. When we get to the city, we'll get off."

I squeeze my eyes shut. Curse that damn teacher; curse my damn father; but most of all, curse the tears burning my eyes.

I rip my hand out of his grip, straightening up, but avoiding his eyes. "Sorry, Takashi, but I don't think I can deal with him. Not now." Not without Hisashi.

"Why?" he demands. "Why are you so against it all of a sudden?"

I open my eyes, glaring. "Because that man is more of a monster than the man-eating corpses!"

His eyes widen, taking in the tears, and I look away, angry.

Suddenly, the sound of a car pulls us away. Further up the hill, a community bus is heading our way, speeding towards us at a dangerous speed. The closer it gets, the more clearly we can hear screams from inside—infected are attacking the people on the bus!

With a loud _crash_, it rams head-on into several cars, tipping onto its side and rolling down the hill.

I suck in air, staring open-mouthed at the death trap.

Without warning, Takashi grabs my wrist and yanks me to him, wrapping his arms securely around my waist. Before I can process it, we're hurled through the tunnel by the buses force, barely missing being flattened by it.

I groan as my head starts pounding and look up at Takashi, who's on top of me. He lets out a harsh breath and gets off, sitting down next to me. I follow his example and sit up. The bus, which is too long for the tunnel entrance, had crashed against the wall, stopping it dead in its tracks. It's alit with flames, burning bright.

"So much for getting back on the bus," Takashi mutters.

"Komuro!" Saeko's voice pelts over the flames. "Are you all right?"

Undead start piling out of the bus, moaning airily. Despite the flames their engulfed in, They seem to be walking normally for infected. Luckily, none of them head out way. Instead, They gravitate towards Saeko, disappearing as they stumble off the bus.

Takashi runs over to a corner, trying to keep from getting burned. "At the police station! Meet up at the East Police Station," he yells back to her.

"What time?"

"Seven o'clock," he answer quickly. "If not today, then tomorrow at the same time!"

The sound of feet are faint before I hear the bus start up, distancing as they look for another way towards the city.

"They left," Takashi announces.

I nod, but don't say anything.

There's a loud crashing noise, and we look to see the entire bus is now on fire, the metal threatening to expand. It sparks, and Takashi turns to me.

"We've gotta get out of here!" he says, grabbing my hand to help me up. "Now!"

I scramble to my feet, trying to keep up with Takashi's mad-dash for the exit. Half way there, the bus explodes, almost engulfing us in flames. We make it out by a hair, though, panting like crazy.

"You're… an idiot, you know that?" Takashi says, trying to breathe.

"Well, gee… thanks for those… kind words," I mutter back, leaning on my knees.

"Are you even aware that you were almost killed more than once today?" he continues.

I look over at him. He's panting too, but his eyes are focused on me, worry set in them. I smirk. "What? Were you worried, Takashi?" I tease.

He rolls his eyes. "Of course I am," he says, ignoring the teasing undertone. "Why would you think I wouldn't be?"

I guess it's a good questions. We're friends, have been for almost two years, and Hisashi always talked about how much closer Takashi and I were with each other than we were with Rei and him, but I always thought that was because Rei had chosen Hisashi over him—Takashi just felt awkward when we were all together. I've always thought that Takashi's main priority is, and always will be, Rei.

Now that I think about it, though, he's here with me because he was worried about if I would survive by myself. Just because I wasn't Rei didn't mean I wasn't important to him too.

I sigh, straightening up. "I'm sorry, Takashi. I guess I made a mess of things, huh?"

He shrugs. "It doesn't matter. Maybe it's better we got away from him."

"You're telling me," I mutter, the anger from earlier resurfacing.

I feel his warm hand ruffling my hair. "Don't stress too much," he says, "Hisashi always aid you were a good judge of character. If you can't stand him, he must be a pretty screwed up person."

My face is hot, and I try not to stutter. "Yeah," I mumble. "Good judge of character…"

"C'mon," he says, not looking at the red burning my face. "We've got to get—"

He's cut off by an undead guy in biker attire. With inhuman strength, he grabs Takashi's uniform jacket and rams him to the concrete with a loud _oomph_.

"Takashi!" I shriek.

"Damn it," he groans, struggling against the infected. Thanks to the helmet, the guy can't bite him, but that doesn't mean he's not trying; I can hear the hollow sound of teeth clanking together. "Dick."

It'd be funny if his life wasn't in danger. Frantically, I look around for something—_anything_—hard enough to bash the guy's face in. Near the stairwell, on the bottom step, is a slab of concrete that's just dangling off. Quickly, I yank it off, using most of my strength just to lift it up, and walk over to the man, smashing it down on his head, effectively stopping it.

Takashi pushes the body off of him and looks up at me.

I smile, holding out my hand. "Need help?"

He takes it, cringing as I help him to his feet.

"You okay?" I ask.

He tries to put pressure on his left leg, but winces every time he leans on it.

"Did you hurt your leg?"

"A little," he admits, "but I'll be alright."

"This is when you need to depend on me," I say, wrapping his arm around my neck. "I'm not completely useless."

"I know you're not," he says, leaning on me.

His words make me feel a little better, and I return his smile. "I have to ask you something, though."

"What is it?"

"We're miles away from the city, you know. Can we really walk all that way?"

"I don't think we have any other…" He pauses, straightening up. "No, wait… that guy was wearing a helmet…"

He limps around, eyes scanning the surroundings. I tilt my head, following after him. Sure enough, on the other side of the road, slipping down a hill on its side, is a nice-looking motorcycle with barely any damage, just a few smudges of mud and grass stuck in the wheels.

Takashi slides downhill, setting it up straight, and turns the key. The engine purrs to life, and we grin at each other.

When we get it up the hill, he mounts it, testing it.

"You don't even have your license," I note, smiling.

"It's customary for high school students to drive without one," he says, grinning as I get behind him.

I laugh, shaking my head.

"You're going to have to hold on."

I blink. "You mean…"

He chuckles and grabs hold of my hands, wrapping them around his waist. "I mean like this."

I pout, glaring at him playfully. "I'm not an idiot."

"No." He laughs. "Just shy when it comes to guys, right?"

_Only when it comes to you_, I correct mentally.

He starts off down the road, driving surprisingly well for someone without a license. After a few minutes, I get comfortable and rest my head on his back, hoping he won't notice how fast my heart is beating.

–xxx–

At the time, I was denying myself. The world we'd known had ended, and I still hadn't accepted it. I wanted to stay the way I was, leaning against Takashi, wind blowing my hair. I wanted to stay comfortably against him for as long as I could.

It was a vain wish.


End file.
